Chippewa River at Chippewa Falls water level

Name: Chippewa River at Chippewa Falls water level (U.S. Geological Survey)
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
License: https://www.usgs.gov/information-policies-and-instructions/copyrights-and-credits

River gauge, Chippewa River, Wisconsin, United States

Directions

Low for mid-October

Water level

2.77ft Down 0.19 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 19, 2026, 10:05 AM CDT (58 min ago)

Flow: 1,360 cfs

History

7 days

Water level

What this means

Low water at Chippewa River at Chippewa Falls: the gauge reads 2.77 ft, below normal for mid-October.

It is still going down, by 0.19 ft over the past 24 hours. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. The 30-day range is 2.75 ft – 3.44 ft.

Fall is often low-water season on rivers, and it usually takes a few days of steady rain to change that.

Compared with 5 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels

Key numbers

Highest on record: 32.40 ftSeptember 10, 1884

Paddling and fishing conditions

At low levels, plan for shorter paddling trips and expect to walk your boat through a few shoals.

Highest crests on record

Rank	Level	Date
1	32.40 ft	September 10, 1884
2	24.80 ft	September 1, 1941
3	22.50 ft	April 15, 1967
4	22.20 ft	June 28, 1943
5	20.78 ft	April 14, 2023
6	20.65 ft	May 2, 1954
7	20.17 ft	April 14, 2002
8	19.84 ft	June 21, 1993
9	19.82 ft	May 19, 2017
10	19.53 ft	April 21, 1996

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 1.02 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

18 Sun 68° 44° – Wind 16 mph

19 Mon 63° 44° – Wind 6 mph

20 Tue 65° 43° – Wind 10 mph

21 Wed 69° 46° – Wind 8 mph

22 Thu 70° 51° – Wind 6 mph

23 Fri 69° 53° – Wind 16 mph

24 Sat 63° 51° 0.43 in Wind 16 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:27 AM Sunset 06:16 PM Daylight 10 hr, 49 min First quarter 60%

Map

Other gauges on the Chippewa River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Chippewa River at Bishops Bridge near WinterRiver gauge, Chippewa River	4.20 ft	Below flood stage	±0	66 mi
Chippewa River near BruceRiver gauge, Chippewa River	394 cfs	Very low	−13.0 cfs	37 mi
Chippewa River below Dells Dam at Eau ClaireRiver gauge, Chippewa River	4.15 ft	No reference yet	−0.12 ft	9 mi
Chippewa River at Grand Ave at Eau ClaireRiver gauge, Chippewa River	1,820 cfs	Low	−260.0 cfs	9 mi
Chippewa River at DurandRiver gauge, Chippewa River	2.58 ft	Below flood stage	−0.10 ft	34 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Red Cedar River near ColfaxRiver gauge, Red Cedar River	630 cfs	Normal	−58.0 cfs	17 mi
Hay River at WheelerRiver gauge, Hay River	221 cfs	Normal	−9.0 cfs	26 mi
Red Cedar River at MenomonieRiver gauge, Red Cedar River	1,010 cfs	Normal	−230.0 cfs	26 mi
Jump River at SheldonRiver gauge, Jump River	126 cfs	Normal	−19.0 cfs	34 mi
Flambeau River near BruceRiver gauge, Flambeau River	654 cfs	Low	−14.0 cfs	34 mi
Eau Galle River at Spring ValleyRiver gauge, Eau Galle River	14.6 cfs	Normal	−0.9 cfs	41 mi
Black River at NeillsvilleRiver gauge, Black River	3.34 ft	Below flood stage	+0.14 ft	47 mi

Questions and answers

Is gage height the same as water depth?

No. Gage height is measured from a fixed reference point chosen by the agency, so a reading of 10 ft does not mean the river is 10 ft deep.

What is the water level of Chippewa River at Chippewa Falls today?

On Oct 19, 2026, 10:05 AM CDT, the water level was 2.77 ft. Down 0.19 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Chippewa River at Chippewa Falls rising or falling?

Down 0.19 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Chippewa River at Chippewa Falls normal?

Low for mid-October. Compared with 5 years of daily readings for this time of year.

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Chippewa River at Chippewa Falls?

The highest level on record is 32.40 ft on September 10, 1884.

How often is this data updated?

The U.S. Geological Survey publishes a new reading every 15 minutes. This page refreshes within minutes of each update.

Where does this data come from?

The values come directly from the U.S. Geological Survey, the official operator of this gauge, and are in the public domain. We do not estimate or model live values.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: U.S. Geological Survey
Station code: usgs:05365500 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 44.92667, -91.41083 (WGS84)
Vertical datum: NAVD88
Update interval: every 15 minutes
Licence: Public domain. Data: U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), provisional data subject to revision

Published series

Parameter	Last value	Time (UTC)	Quality
Water level	2.77 ft	2026-10-19 15:05	Provisional
Flow	1,360 cfs	2026-10-19 15:05	Provisional

Download

Embed this gauge

Add a live card for this gauge to your website. It updates on its own and links back here.

<iframe src="https://nivelmap.com/embed/7778?lang=en" width="360" height="230" style="border:0;max-width:100%" loading="lazy" title="Chippewa River at Chippewa Falls water level"></iframe>

How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Chippewa River at Chippewa Falls (usgs:05365500). Accessed October 19, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/wisconsin/chippewa-river-at-chippewa-falls

How we check values

Each reading is stored as published. We hold back values that jump faster than physically plausible and show the measurement time with every value.

Readings are provisional, can be delayed or wrong and are not a flood warning. Read the disclaimer